


Burn The Witch !

by EphemerealElixir



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Found Family, LGBT, Witchcraft, non-binary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25386835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EphemerealElixir/pseuds/EphemerealElixir
Summary: Tomie Anderson has always considered themself to be a completely normal teenager — they go to school, hang out with friends, play video games. There's absolutely nothing special about them... except maybe the fact that they're the only nonbinary person in school.But after an accident at school that leads to them finding something out about themself that they weren't supposed to know in the first place, Tomie realizes that they might just be a whole lot more special than they originally thought.And sometimes, being special isn't good. Sometimes, being special means you have to run from the government to avoid being assassinated because you're a witch.





	1. Chapter One

_I'm scared...!_

Tomie looked around the room, dark eyes darting in every direction — from the fallen bookshelves to the shattered windows, to their classmates huddled in the corner of the room and staring at them as if they were some kind of _monster,_ a feral animal that needed to be put down.

They collapsed on the ground, hands pulling so hard at their hair it felt like their scalp was about to be ripped in half. They could feel the glass from the windows digging into their knees, embedding itself into their skin and turning the gray carpeted floor into a crimson red. It hurt. It hurt so, _so_ bad, but the pain was what grounded them and reminded them that they were, in fact, alive.

A scream erupted from their throat, tearing through them like a blade. It was a scream of wild panic. A scream of hysteria and disbelief, bordering on terror. It didn't necessarily help with anything — the classroom was still a mess, their classmates were still terrified, and they were still bleeding — but _holy crap_ did it feel good to get all those emotions out in one long, animalistic shriek.

...And, once their voice finally gave out, nausea crept from their abdomen to their head and the world went black.

☆。*。☆。

"Janice, we haveto tell them."

"I know that, but..."

"This is your sister's child's _life_ on the line here! We can't hide it from them anymore!"

"Oh, don't you dare bring my sister into this! How awful can you be!?"

Tomie's eyes fluttered open slowly. For a split second, everything seemed fine and normal. There wasn't anything weird going on. They were just waking up from a nap in the backseat of their uncle's car. They weren't really sure why they were in the car in the first place, but they were also too tired to question it. 

And then, just as they were about to settle back into their peaceful little slumber, everything that had happened came back. They bolted up, eyes wide, and hands covering their mouth in an attempt to stop themself from vomiting. The mere memory was enough to make them feel physically ill. The fear, the pain, the desperation... ugh, that was something they never wanted to experience again.

They sighed, swallowing back the puke, and looked over at their guardians. Neither of them seemed to notice that they were awake — they were too busy arguing, whisper-yelling at each other over something. Tomie didn't know what it was. It was too quiet for them to hear, and they didn't have enough energy to even try to listen in. 

They sat there silently for a few minutes, just staring at the furious argument. They caught a few words, like _'government'_ and _'run'_. It wasn't enough to know what the heck they were talking about though (it honestly just made them even more confused and intrigued), and it was getting kind of awkward, so they made their presence known.

"Uh, hey?" they said loudly. The car immediately halted to a stop as their aunt and uncle turned to look at them. For awhile, nobody said anything. There was complete and utter silence. You could hear a pin drop. It was finally broken when someone behind them honked their horn and Uncle Chris had to start moving the car again. 

"Hey, kiddo," he said awkwardly. "You feeling alright?"

"I'm..." Tomie paused. "Y'know what? I'm gonna be totally honest with you — I feel like complete and utter garbage."

Uncle Chris chuckled. "Yeah, that's understandable. You caused a pretty big ruckus. I'm just happy you're okay."

"Okay is kind of a stretch," they laughed, looking out the window. They didn't have any idea where they were. They must've been driving for awhile. "I definitely don't _feel_ okay. What even happened to me?"

"I —"

"We'll tell you later," Aunt Janice interrupted curtly. She was staring straight ahead, face a stone mask. It was weird to see their aunt, usually so energetic and sweet, look so serious. It only made Tomie more concerned. "That's not important right now. What's important is getting you somewhere safe." 

"Don't you think they have a right to know?" Uncle Chris said. "We can't keep them in the dark anymore."

"Yes, and they will," Aunt Janice turned to him sharply. "Soon. But for now, getting them somewhere safe should be our biggest priority. Don't you agree?" 

Uncle Chris opened his mouth, seeming like he wanted to argue, then immediately closed his mouth again. "Fine," he sighed, not seeming at all happy with the arrangement. "But _you_ have to be the one who tells them. It was your decision to hide it their entire life." 

"It was for their _safety,"_ Aunt Janice hissed through clenched teeth. "I just didn't want to put them in any sort of danger —"

"Well, you failed." 

Aunt Janice paused and whirled around to look at him. She looked genuinely hurt and upset for the first time since they'd started this conversation, and understandably so. Tomie still had zero idea what they were even talking about, and even they thought that what their uncle had said was going too far. Like, they understood that he was probably stressed out, but _jeez._

Uncle Chris seemed to realize his words were uncalled for too, because he immediately apologized. "Look, I-I'm sorry. We're all under a lot of stress and it just slipped out. I didn't mean it. None of this is your fault. It was out of your control."

"It's fine." That was such an obvious lie that Tomie actually cringed when they heard it. There aunt was obviously still upset, but just didn't want to admit it. She stared straight ahead, refusing to speak. Uncle Chris wasn't talking either, so for awhile, they were just stuck in awkward silence.

For awhile, Tomie just stared out the window. They were going through a town that they'd never seen before. It wasn't anything special. There were a lot of stores and restaurants, but they didn't see any houses. Where were they even going? Aunt Janice had said something about getting them to safety, but they didn't even know why they were in danger in the first place!

They did, however, had a feeling that it had something to do with what had happened back in the classroom. It just felt too weird to be irrelevant to what was happening right now. Honestly, the only other explanation was that either their aunt and uncle had murdered someone and now they were on the run from the government, which was pretty unlikely. 

"So," they said after about twenty minutes of silence, because they were going to explode if someone didn't say _something._ "Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on here or...? Because I still have no idea what's happening."

"I said I'll tell you later," Aunt Janice said. "It's not important right now." 

"But it _is_ later!" Tomie whined, leaning forward in their seat (they suddenly realized they weren't wearing a seat-belt.) "And I wanna know _now!_ C'mon, it's like Uncle Chris said. If it involves me, I have a right to know!"

"Tomie..."

"Why won't you tell me? It's obviously pretty important, or else I wouldn't be in any danger because of it. Don't you think it's weird to keep something like that from me?" 

"They're not wrong," Uncle Chris said quietly from the front seat, and Aunt Janice whirled around to glare at him before sighing and turning to Tomie. 

"You aren't going to stop until I tell you, will you?" 

"Nope!" Tomie grinned, sitting up straighter. They knew their aunt would crack eventually. Their aunt could only take so much before they got tired and just told them to get them to shut up. A childish tactic, maybe. But one that definitely worked on their aunt. "So you're gonna tell me?"

"Yes," Aunt Janice said. "But before I do, there's something I should make very clear. Everything I'm about to say is true. It's definitely going to sound like a practical joke, but I promise it's not. I wouldn't joke about something like this, and I'm so, _so_ sorry for hiding it from you your entire life. I just didn't want to put you in danger. I wanted you to be safe —"

"Yeah, yeah," Tomie waved their hand impatiently. "You already said that! Now, what is it?" 

Aunt Janice took a deep breath. "Okay, here it goes. Tomie, you're a — God, it feels so stupid to say this out loud. You're... a witch, to put it simply."


	2. Chapter Two

"You're... a witch, to put it simply."

It was a phrase that Tomie never expected to hear in their life - at least, not outside of a book or movie. Definitely not directed at them, unless it was for some sort of ill-thought out practical joke by their friends. And for a moment, they briefly considered that's what it was. After all, it was just so ridiculous. Unrealistic. It couldn't be the truth.

Then they remembered what had happened back in the classroom. There's no way that what happened back there was normal. Plus, their aunt had been so stressed out and anxious about telling them. She wouldn't have been that panic-y if what she was saying wasn't true. She couldn't have been faking it either, because she was a horrible actress.

That left only one option: Aunt Janice was telling the truth and Tomie was, in fact, a witch.

"Oh," they said faintly, slumping down in their seat. They weren't upset that their aunt and uncle had hidden it from them or anything. After all, it must've been for a good reason. They never hid anything from them without good reason too. They were just shocked about the sudden realization that they had magic. They needed a minute.

Although, it did explain a lot of things that nobody could ever find a logical answer for — their strange ability to survive falling off the roof after they had climbed onto it, them healing unrealistically fast, their habit of attracting cats. It was all because of magic. (Well, the first two were. They weren't totally sure about the last one, but they associated cats with witches, so it made sense.)

"Are you... alright?" Aunt Janice asked hesitantly.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Uncle Chris said. "So —"

"I'm fine," Tomie interrupted, giving their aunt and uncle a small smile to appease their worrying. "It's just... like Uncle Chris said, it's a lot to take in. I'm a witch. Wow. So, uh, why'd you hide it from me? Cuz, like, there has to be a reason. Right?"

Aunt Janice and Uncle Chris paused for a minute, glancing at each other. Neither of them seemed to want to say anything. Finally, he sighed and muttered, "Don't worry, I'll tell them." He didn't seem too happy about it though.

"Thank you," she smiled at him, relieved.

Tomie turned their attention to their uncle. They could see his reflection in the rear-view mirror. His greenish-blue eyes were slightly wide, and he had prominent bags underneath them. He was also sweating a lot, probably out of nervousness. In short, he looked like a complete mess.

"Okay, so," he took a deep breath. "To put this in the most simple terms possible, the government doesn't exactly like witches. It's the reason most people don't even know they exist unless they're, y'know, related to one. It's sorta considered illegal."

Tomie nodded. It sounded stupid to them. After all, why would something they had no control over be illegal? Then again, this was the American government they were talking about here, so they guessed it made a little bit of sense. "Okay," they said. "And what's the punishment for being a witch?"

"You gotta promise me you won't panic."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," they made an 'x' motion across their heart with their index figure, grinning carelessly. Well, they hoped it look careless. They were actually also feeling sorta freaked out. Acting like they didn't care was just how they dealt with it.

Uncle Chris forced his next words out, so quick and quiet that Tomie considered asking him to repeat himself because they weren't sure if they heard him right. They didn't want to hear him right. But, no matter how much they wished they could deny it, facts were facts. He'd definitely said —

"I'm sorry, did you just say assassination?"

He nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. That's - that's the penalty if someone finds out you're a witch." He briefly looked at Tomie out of the corner of his eye to see their reaction.

"Oh," they forced out an awkward laugh, running their fingers through their hair. "So that's why I'm in danger. We're running from the government so I don't get freaking killed. I'm probably gonna die. Well, that's fun." I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die-

"You're not going to die!" Aunt Janice insisted, whirling around to face them with wide eyes. "Don't worry. Your uncle and I have a plan."

"What? You're gonna protect me from trained assassins? Give me a break!"

"No," she sighed and turned her entire body around in her seat so she could look at them more comfortably. "Look, there's this place. It's like a safe haven for witches. I have a map that your mom gave me. Chris and I will drop you off —"

"You aren't coming with me!?" Tomie yelled, and Aunt Janice actually winced at the sudden loud noise. "Why not!?"

"Because," she said. "It'll be easier for them to find you if there are people with you, especially people who you know. It's in your best interests if you go alone. We've got stuff to disguise you so people don't know who you are."

"How do you plan on disguising this!?" They waved a hand over themself. Over their messy dark blue hair, over their brightly colored braces, over their black thick-rimmed glasses and kandi bracelets. "I'm not hard to miss in a crowd, y'know!"

"Tomie!" their aunt leaned forward, gripping their shoulders firmly. "Listen to me, okay? You. Will. Be. Fine. We would never let anything happen to you. You have to trust us."

Tomie stared at their aunt's determined express with wide, panicked eyes, their chest heaving up and down due to their panic, tears in the corners of their eyes. They didn't know what to do. They'd just been told that they were going to be assassinated and would have to leave to their family. Forever, probably. They couldn't just not freak out. Besides, there was no guarantee that they would make it to the 'witch safe haven' or whatever in one piece. Even if they weren't assassinated, a lot could happen.

But... their aunt had said that they would be okay, that there was no way she or their uncle would let them die. And yeah, maybe it was a childish way of thinking, but they wanted to trust her. After all, the only other option was just sitting here and screaming about their current situation without actually doing anything about it. And honestly? They much preferred Aunt Janice's suggestion.

"Alright," they breathed out slowly, wiping the tears away as Aunt Janice let go of their shoulders. "I'm done panicking. I trust you guys." Please don't let me regret that decision.

"That's a relief," she gave him a warm smile. "Hey, do you want some ice cream? I brought some in the cooler. It's just underneath the sea... hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

Tomie was staring at their aunt with an incredulous expression. "I could be assassinated," and they said. "And the first thing on your mind is ice cream?"

Aunt Janice flushed. "It wasn't the first thing on my mind. I just thought you might like some. Look, do you want some or not?"

"You know what?" they said, shrugging. "Sure. I could use something sweet."

"Chocolate or strawberry?"

"Strawberry, please."

☆。*。☆。

They continued driving for about four more hours. Tomie ended up drifting in and out of consciousness the entire time. They never managed to completely fall asleep though. They, despite their best efforts to calm themself down, were still very worried about what was to come. They trusted their aunt and uncle, sure, but it was still scary.

Not even just because of the assassination aspect. They would have to leave their family to go to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, and they had zero idea when they would get to see their guardians again. There was a super high chance that it would be never, and the mere idea of that was so upsetting that it made their chest physically hurt.

Finally, the car stopped. They had already driven well past the town they were in and now were in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't a car for miles. Aunt Janice stopped and turned around, smiling despite very clearly looking like she was about to cry.

"Alright," she said, pulling stuff out from under her seat. "Here's a cloak so people can't see you, a backpack with some blankets and a pillow, and... what else?"

"Don't forget the snacks." Uncle Chris wasn't even looking at Tomie, but they could hear his voice cracking.

"Those are in the backpack. Anyway," she turned back to Tomie. "I guess this is where we say goodbye."

"Yeah..." they paused, and after a second of hesitation, threw their arms around their aunt and uncle. It was a bit awkward, seeing as how they were all still in their seats. But they didn't particular care, and they had a feeling nobody else did either.

Tomie had no idea how long they sat there, hugging each other and crying silently. But they did know one thing: they never wanted this moment to end.


End file.
